What happened
On June 17, 2008, at approximately 14:12 UTC, an ATEC 321 Faeta ultralight aircraft, registration OK-JUG 23, crashed at an unverified emergency landing strip near the village of Krásno, Czech Republic. The flight commenced following a pre-flight inspection at the site. After a brief engine warm-up, the aircraft departed from the 600-meter asphalt runway.
During the initial climb, the aircraft performed several maneuvers, including left turns at altitudes between 30 and 70 meters. After completing a turn, the pilot signaled to the observer by waving the wings. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft entered a steep upward pitch, followed by erratic movements across all three axes. The aircraft then entered a steep dive, impacting the ground vertically. The impact triggered an immediate fire caused by leaking fuel, which completely destroyed the aircraft. Both the pilot and the passenger sustained fatal injuries due to polytrauma and died almost instantly.
The investigation
The ÚZPLN investigation established that the engine was functioning normally prior to the impact and that no mechanical failures or external objects were observed. The investigation also confirmed that the pilot failed to activate the aircraft's ballistic parachute recovery system. Medical examinations revealed that the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration of 1.19 g/kg, a level that significantly impairs the ability to safely operate an aircraft. Furthermore, weight calculations determined that the aircraft was operating above its maximum takeoff mass (MTOM).